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Exclusive: Blessing Oborodudu, "An undisputed Blessing to Nigerian Sport"

Posted : 31 May 2023
Blessing Oborodudu in all considerations can be best described as a "Blessing to Nigeria sports".

The 34-year-old, a bold, courageous and committed dogged fighter, has overtime coloured herself in juicy championship medals through her stellar performances in Wrestling bouts across all competitions, including the Olympics.

Heavily-built Oborodudu stormed into limelight in 2007 when she was invited to take part in the National Camp in preparation towards African Games.

Oborududu was invited to a national camp in 2007 after she was spotted during an impressive outing at inter-house sports wrestling competition in Bayelsa State, after which she was given the opportunity to take part in the National Sports Festival, then a step further as she took part in the African Games.

Oborodudu in an interview claimed that she was earlier discouraged by her parents on her choice to become a professional wrestler, a sport the family erroneously believed is reserved for boys and men.

Oborodudu will not want to take this part of discouragement as she had already set her sight on a Canadian-Nigerian wrestler, Daniel Igali who was originally regarded as the first athlete with a Nigerian origin to have won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling as an idol.

From 2012, after Oborodudu came to limelight till 2022, she has yet to miss any gold medal in all the African Wrestling Championships she had participated in. Infact, Oborodudu is also considered the most feared Wrestler in Africa.

Oborodudu is a gold medalist in Cairo, Egypt 2010, Dakar Senegal 2011, while she did not show up in 2012 due to the 2012 Summer Olympics but continued with the gold rush in N'Djamena, Niger Republic, 2014 Tunis, Tunisia, 2015, Alexandra Egypt, 2016, Alexandra, Egypt, 2017, Marakesh, Morocco, 2018, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 2019 Hammamet, Tunisia 2020, Algiers, Algeria, 2021 El Jadida, Sudan, and 2022, Hammamet, Tunisia, making a total of 12 gold medals.

Oborodudu's first assignment at the Olympics can be considered as decent as she competed in the 63 kg freestyle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Monika Michalik.

Oborodudu came back stronger at the Tokyo, 2020, where she set the best personal record and thereafter she became the first Nigerian Wrestler to win a silver medal at the Olympics which she won in women’s freestyle 68kg.

The Silver medal came just as she celebrated her third appearance in the Olympics after her berth in 2012 Olympics in London.

Oborodudu is currently ranked as the world number two woman, a feat no Nigerian Wrestler has ever attained.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 34-year-old Oborodudu finally won the gold that had eluded her in two previous attempts.

Oborududu held on for a slim 4-3 victory over her Canadian opponent Danielle Lappage.

Though Wrestling is a tough game, Oborodudu thrives with her inner strength and physique to overpower most of her opponents.

Oborodudu who so much idolizes her coach and mentor always speaks highly of the Olympics gold medalist, Daniel Igali as the one who inspires her most to attain the height at which she is today.

Perhaps thinking that she was done with wrestling after taking part in the 2022 Tokyo Olympics, the Business Administration graduate, Oborodudu shockingly announced her decision to quit wrestling after the summer Olympics.

However, after winning the so-much coveted Silver medal, Oborodudu seems to have made a U-turn on the decision, howbeit, her place in the wrestling circuit, especially the 68kg category which is her dominance, is yet to produce a suitable opposition to her crown.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Oborodudu put up another stellar performance which earned her a gold medal after she overpowered Canadian Linda Morais in the Women's 68 kg category at the conventary Arena.

The 2022 Commonwealth gold was Oborodudu's second gold medal after she had won her first at the Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia in 2018.

Enroute to the finals in Birmingham 2022, the fame fighter Oborodudu had a walkover on India’s Kakran Divya in the quarter-final with an 11-0 win, while in the round of 16, she dumled off Nyeh Ngiri of Cameroon 10-0.

At 33 years old then, Oborodudu made light of the fight against Cocker Lemalie in the semi-final with a 10-0 win before the final spectacular performance in the finals.

Just recently at the 2023 African Wrestling Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia, Team Nigeria powered by Oborodudu and Odunayo Adekuoroye helped Nigeria to clinch the first position at the just concluded 2023 Senior, Junior and Cadet category.

Team Nigeria won six gold and four silver medals in the senior category, two gold in junior category and one gold in beach wrestling.

The team also won three silver and two bronze medals in different categories as well as clinching the African senior female team title for an unprecedented 12th time.

During the event in Hammamet in Tunisia, Oborodudu an Olympic silver medallist, won gold in the 68kg category to emerge 12-time African champion an all time record.

At 35 years, undisputed number one female wrestler in Africa will surely be trying another luck in Olympics rounds, maybe this time a step further ahead to win the elusive gold medal she so much craved for herself and Nigeria.

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